School's in Session!

     The academic year opened this week and the students have returned, so the College is also back in action. We had our first organizational meeting today and set schedules for fighter practices and A&S sessions. What a difference from last year! With so many returning students in the College, there is so much energy and we're actually going to have two fighter practices each week and A&S on Wednesdays and Saturdays! We've also got a new Castellan, who is really excited to work with the first year students who signed up to join the College at the club fair during Orientation Week. There were 32 of them and if we get a third of them as regular participants, it will be great. We've got other returning students stepping up as Web Minister/Social Media officer and Exchequer, which will take a burden off some of the non-student members.

     We've got the College's birthday coming up next month and our first group projects will focus on getting garb finished and banners and other decorations made for the event. Lord Guy is coming in from Insulae Draconis to serve as our archery marshal and everyone is excited to get back to shooting. A number of people got bows over the summer and several more are waiting for equipment to arrive. We've also got an event on the Kingdom calendar for April 2016 - Bows and Blows II. It will be concentrating on archery and heavy fighting, but there will also be A&S classes and maybe a surprise activity. I'm quite proud of our students. They are really interested in heraldry and six of them had names and devices registered over the summer. Six more have names and devices submitted and they should hear by January if they are registered by the College of Heralds.

     All in all, it bodes well for the College and its activities for the upcoming academic year!

Let the planning commence.

I've currently got 6 new  banner/other heraldic display commissions post-Raglan to finish by Yule,

When those are done, I've finally settled on what I want to make for myself in the way of SCA clothing - proper Slavic dress for the 2nd Bulgarian Kingdom in the mid 13th century. I'll be working from fresco portraits in various churches and monasteries, beginning with the portrait of Boyarina Desislava from the Boyana Church in Sofia, which dates to just that time period.

 

I have an enlargement of the full portrait (got it at the church) in my home office, so I can see the details well. I'm starting with the cap, circlet, and veil. The project may take all year!

In case you were wondering

why I go back to Raglan Fair, year after year, this photo by Lady Agnes des Iles should say it all.

 

 

 

The banners are the work of Lord Nicholas de Estleche dictus le Tardif. (and they are huge - 2 meters wide or so!)

Post Raglan musings

     I really enjoyed Raglan this year, despite being busier there than ever. I was reservations steward and I found that as much as I love talking to everyone and meeting new people, I have to schedule in a little down time away from the registration  tent. Plans afoot on that for next year.

     I loved participating in the fencing prize-playing as a time keeper for both the Free Scholar and Prefect bouts. I got the best seat in the place and could really concentrate on the fighting. It was my first time as time keeper and I hope it will not be the last.

     I taught a class in making basic thread-wrapped buttons that seemed to be well received. I also took a basic naalbinding class (for the third time) and this teacher was really good. Mistress Rogned actually made sense and now I can naalbind. I had a private lesson in sprang from Jahanarabanu and I think that may become a favorite activity. Her lord, Eldgrimr, made my sprang loom and it is a lovely thing.

     Our first student heavy fighter from the College of Saint John of Rila came to Raglan this year and after jumping right in and helping to set up around 10 encampments, he was authorized as a heavy fighter. He fought in the bridge battle and the Oxford Roll, as seen here.

 

He got his first two archer scores with his longbow.

And watching him become Lord Samuil Simeonov was just great. Good job, Sam!!!

 

More musings to follow...

Okay, Raglan's over and it's time to try and post a little more often...

So, back in March I posted some photos of a pile of black and white fabric in my living room. This is what it looks like now*.

It was the center of the Linden Manor encampment at Ffair Rhaglan XI, which just ended on Monday. I am so pleased at how it stood up to wind and rain and am planning many, many updates before its next use! 

Also in this photo you can see a few of the banners I made for various household members and friends. I completed 12 new ones for the Fair and have commissions for 6 more for next year. Lord Samuil made the wonderful banner stands, which greatly improved the look of our encampment. Vivant for Linden Manor!

* photo courtesy of Sophie Sherwell

Once again, catching up

It seems as though I can DO things or I can blog, but not both. I don't quite know how to find a balance, but I need to try a bit harder or things just won't get recorded.

To catch up a bit, we had our first official SCA event at the College in quite some time. It was called Bows and Blows, and needless to say featured archery. It was our first attempt at the sport and fortunately, one of the Kingdom Archery Marshals, Lady Constanza, was willing to fly out from the UK to run things for us. We had 16 first-time archers and the hardest part of the day was getting them to pause to eat lunch. When the archery finally finished, we  headed to my house for crafting and feast, after garbing up. It was too cold for the kids to shoot in garb, since most of them are in poly-cotton starter kit. Here's a selection of photos, beginning with one of Constanza and her longbow.

 

 

It was a really good day and the kids committed to another event in October, again featuring archery. They're also planning Bows and Blows II for April 2016.

 

 

This is what they looked like after shooting and fighting. It was a long (but very good!) day!

 



Spring is really coming!

My tomatoes have sprouted! As have the indigo and the foxgloves!